It seems clear that voting has become some kind of political football instead of the right of every citizen in this country. The voting rights act of the 1960s made it possible for thousands of Black and brown people who had been denied their rights to vote. Now we see that voting is at the center of controversy again in this past election.

Let’s pass H.R.1/S.1 in honor of John Lewis and make sure we don’t have another mess like the one we just had.

Voting is a constitutional right, so let’s get the feds to step up and make voting standard across the country. Let’s make it easier not harder to vote. Let’s make it possible to vote by mail as many states have for years. We don’t have to wait on line to vote here in the North Country but people in other parts of the country sometimes wait hours so let’s make election day a holiday so people don’t have to go without a day’s pay to vote. Won’t all this make our country stronger? If you love democracy, won’t it be better the more people are represented? Let’s register people on their 18th birthday! Let’s make sure some states can’t make it harder than others. It’s not rocket science. It’s common sense. If America is a shining light on the hill for other democracies, let’s make sure that all our citizens are represented. Congress must provide $4 billion in emergency funding for elections.

Sincerely,

Jane Haugh

Upper Jay